By My Side Always: Xander and Vida
by Enigmaforum
Summary: My response to the Ars Amatoria Theme Challenges for Vida and Xander.
1. Dare

**Disclaimer: Don't own them…probably never ever will.**

**Challenge: Dare**

**Summary: Some people say boredom is a great motivator….**

**Rating: T, for now.**

**Authors Notes: Alright everybody I've decided to try my hand at the Ars Amatoria Theme Challenge. I've been toying with the idea for a while and recently decided to just go ahead and do it with the encouragement of the lovely PinkGreenWhite4ever. This is going to be all 60 theme challenges done with one of my personal favorite couples; Vida and Xander. Please note that these challenges are not related in any way unless I specifically note it.**

**AN 2: I would also like to thank the ever lovely Angel for all of her help as well!**

**This is set after the episode Whispering Voices.**

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It was quiet around the RockPorium; for too quiet for any of the rangers taste. Today had definitely been a difficult day; one filled with the usual battle but it was also one filled with some new revelations about each other, which had caused the rangers to become closer as a team and friends; friends who were now situated at work, a very boring work at the moment.

Currently four out of the five of them were sitting down in the center of the store. Xander was situated in his usual chair while Nick, Maddie, and Vida currently occupied the couch. They were all attempting to find a way to occupy themselves from the boredom that encased them but those attempts were proving to be ineffective because Nick and Maddie were dozing off in each others arms, Vida was just staring off into space and Xander appeared lost in thought. The only one who seemed remotely occupied was Chip, who was in the center of the store building some sort of fort out of the record bins there.

"I finished!" Chip shouted triumphantly to the others from the center of his fort. His shout seemed to startle the others out of what had previously been occupying them. Xander groaned as he just looked around the store and realized it was still as empty as ever. He glanced at the clock and noticed that it was almost nine thirty; a half an hour to kill before they could close the store down and go home for the night, a half an hour in which he was determined to find something to do. Xander glanced around at all of his friends for a few moments before an idea came to him; an idea that really was the perfect solution to boredom they were all facing at the moment. _Truth or Dare_ was a game that would provide all of them with much needed entertainment the only problem Xander would have was in convincing the others to play a game that could become very risqué.

"Alright mates is there anyone here as bored as I am?" Xander asked aloud. At his question all of his friends seemed to perk up even more. He watched as Nick and Maddie disentangled themselves from the other as Chip abandoned his new fort in favor of a seat next to them on the couch. Vida just glanced at Xander before rolling her eyes and speaking.

"Well Xander I would think that your answer is pretty obvious given how we've all been doing nothing almost all night." She said rather cheekily. Xander just gave her a grin before turning back to everyone else. They all nodded in agreement with Vida's statement, which meant that his suggestion could get accepted without any convincing.

"Well seeing as we're all in agreement about our current situation I think I may have the perfect solution. I think that we need to play a game in order to get rid of the boredom," Xander said with a smirk.

"What game are you thinking about?" Nick asked cautiously.

"So glad you asked Nick. I'm thinking about Truth or Dare." Xander paused after this and waited in order to gauge everyone's reactions, ones that came out instantaneously.

"No way."

"Not after last time."

"Count me out."

Responses came from almost everyone except for the Pink Mystic Ranger. Vida just sat on the couch and looked over at Xander and smirked. Truth or Dare in their group usually ended badly but Vida was open to the suggestion. It was an escape from the mindless boredom that surrounded her, so she had no qualms with playing, even if it was just the two of them.

"I'll play Xander. Guys..come on I know Truth or Dare doesn't exactly…mix with us but it's something to do. I mean would you all rather go back into the silence we had before?" Vida said pointedly. They all managed to shake their heads and she smirked.

"So I take it that means we're all in agreement then? We'll play?" Vida smirked as everyone nodded in agreement. She glanced up at Xander and gave him a thumbs up. He smirked at her before speaking to everyone.

"Alright let's get started…who wants to go first?"

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Almost a half an hour later the once quiet record store was filled with laughter. Xander had just been dared to make up his own ballet dance and that dare was just the tip of the iceberg. The game had started out innocently enough but it had erupted into something much more competitive between the five rangers. The game was now a fierce battle of wills between them all, especially Vida and Xander. Throughout the game, those two had been the ones to hand out the most outrageous dares and to ask some very revealing questions. In fact, it was as though they were the only people involved in the game, and everyone else was watching them for entertainment..

They all looked to Xander as he finally sat down from the ballet dance to see whohe would pick next. He silently began looking from friend to friend for his next "victim", but in truth everyone knew whom he would pick. Within seconds he smirked and zoned in on the now grinning Vida.

"Vida…"he asked haughtily, "Truth or dare?"

Vida just continued to smirk before she leaned in and gave him an answer.

"Dare." She said confidently. "Do your worst Xander..it's not going to phase me." Exclamations of "oohs" came from the other three rangers as they awaited Xander's reaction to her challenge.

"Are you sure about that V? Well then…this should be no problem for you. I dare you…to kiss me." Xander said cheekily. He smirked when he saw her eyes slightly widen at his words. He took a moment to glance around at everyone else in the store and saw that the looks on their faces ranged from shock to amusement. Xander just chuckled slightly at their looks before turning his attentions back to Vida. He saw that her head was cocked to the side and she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

"What's the matter V? Too scared to go through with it?" At those taunting words all Vida could do was smirk at him.

"Me? Scared? Never." Vida said before she jumped up from her current seat on the couch and quickly walked over to where Xander was currently sitting. She reached his chair within moments and silently she placed her arms on either side of him before smirking down at his slightly shocked expression.

"Xander you should know better than anyone that I never turn down a dare. Ever." Vida took charge after that and slowly guided her lips onto his own. What happened next was something neither of them had been expecting. Instead of the kiss being rough and hard, like the two of them, it turned out to be one full of sensitivity and softness. It was the type of kiss that made both of their bodies tingle, as if jolts of identical electricity had been sent through their bodies to specifically make them both lose themselves. For those few moments, it felt as if the entire world had come to a stand still and the only people still in motion were the two of them. Slowly, Vida pulled back slowly, letting them both savor those last few moments of pure bliss.

"Wow," Xander uttered. _'I'll have to remember to dare her to kiss me again.'_ Vida just smiled down at him from her position above him.

"So Xander…truth or dare?"


	2. Color

**Disclaimer: I do not and thoroughly doubt I will ever own Power Rangers.  
Challenge: Color  
Summary: Pink? Me? Why?  
Rating: T, for now.  
AN: Two down and fifty-eight to go! Here's the second challenge of the Ars Amatoria challenges. Also…I'd like to remind you that none of these challenges are related unless I state it.**

**AN2: Thanks so much for the reviews guys! I really appreciate it.**

**This takes place right after "Broken Spell"**

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Vida sighed as she leaned back against the speakers in her car, thankful once again that she'd put them in there because those speakers provided the one thing she had always used to calm down; music and at this moment she needed it now more than ever. That was because today had definitely been the strangest day she'd ever had. In the course of one day she had discovered that magic really existed, the forest actually wasn't that perilous, and the forces of evil were trying to take over her world and she was needed to help stop them. Today she'd become part of a team of super heroes; a very color-coded team of heroes. That's right today Vida Rocca had become a Power Ranger; the Pink Mystic Ranger to be exact.

She really did think that being a superhero was amazing: she got a wand and magical powers, not to mention the fact that she was part of a legacy she had only heard about from the media and from Chip. While she was very honored to be doing this, there was only one annoying thing that got to her: the color. Vida hated pink with a passion and now she was the Pink Ranger and to be quite honest she didn't know why. Pink was for girly girls and she was anything but, pink was for anyone but her and now she was slowly starting to find herself wanting to wear the wretched color all the time.

"Is this seat taken?" Vida jumped from her spot in the back of her car at the sound of someone questioning her. She glanced around to see Xander looking at her as he climbed into the back of her car with her.

"Thanks for waiting for an answer," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Anytime," he said with a grin as he made himself comfortable beside her. "So what are you doing out here all alone?"

Vida sighed a bit at that, not really sure that she wanted to talk about this with Xander of all people. She wasn't sure that he'd understand the exact problem she was having with having to wear pink, she thought he might see that as shallow on her part and she wasn't…honestly she was just annoyed. "I'm…thinking," she replied slowly.

"About what exactly?" He countered right back.

"Today and its craziness," she replied with a slight smile. Xander just smiled right back and nodded in agreement. "Crazy is the nice way to put it," he replied. "Utterly and totally bizarre is the other. But you have to admit it was pretty cool."

"Pretty cool?" Vida responded with eyebrows raised. "I'd say today was more than pretty cool. I'd have to say it was amazing. I mean..how often can one say they became a super hero? Even if…." She let herself trail off after that, silently cursing herself for practically betraying what she'd been thinking about earlier.

"Even if what?" Xander questioned intently. Vida bit her lip at that and questioned if she should talk him about this, after all he was here and willing to actually listen. The worst he could do was think she was being completely stupid about it and Vida could deal with that for the most part.

"Even if I'm not exactly happy with the choice of color. I mean….I'm….pink," she grimaced. "And I hate that color. It symbolizes everything that I'm not; girly, frilly, lacey, and…." She stopped herself after that, not wanting to continue on with what she was going to say next. Vida looked at Xander and saw that his eyes were on her and his mouth was open ever so slightly at her sudden tangent. Normally she never did this kind of thing with him, sure they were close but their closeness derived from the constant fighting, not the ability to confide in each other. Still she was his friend and she needed someone right now, and he just so happened to be the only one around.

"V it's not that bad. I mean..you looked good in pink, more feminine," he replied quietly. Vida's eyes got wide at that and she actually looked like she was panicking. "But..I don't want that. I'm not a girly girl. I certainly don't want to be seen as one and Pink it just….it makes me think that somehow I'm weaker than all of you," she finished quickly.

Xander just gave Vida an incredulous look after that; as if he honestly didn't believe what she was telling him at this moment. "V..is that what you honestly think about your color? Because if it is..than you're an idiot," he replied simply only to get a glare from her. "No I mean it because obviously you haven't looked at those that have come before you. The women who've worn that color have been nothing but strong, powerful, and forceful with the bad guys. They're independent and sure of themselves in everything and I have to believe that's why you are Pink," he stopped for a minute to give her another look to prove his point. "V…for as long as I've known you you've been this strong independent woman that everyone can look up to. You're exactly what your color needs to represent it. You may not like it but V you're pink and rightly so."

Vida stared at him in shock after that, she'd expected Xander to say something completely pointless; instead she'd gotten something genuinely nice and serious out of him. Something that she had to admit felt really nice to hear because it made her feel confident in being this color. Sure she may hate it but she could grow to like it, after all like Xander had said, she was representing those that came before her.


	3. Competition

**Disclaimer: I do not and sadly probably never will own this franchise. **

**Challenge: Competition**

**Summary: A little friendly competition never hurt anyone right?**

**Rating: T, for now**

**AN: I realize that it's been a while since I've updated these but I've gotten side tracked with other story ideas and real life. But I'm back to this now and I hope to be updating more frequently so stay tuned. **

**AN 2: Again none of these challenges are related unless otherwise stated. **

**This takes place right before "Petrified Xander"**

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Vida grumbled as she headed into work that day, honestly not wanting to be there after the week she'd been having. Every time she'd turned around it seemed as though there was a new baddie to fight, some new magic to learn. All in all it was just a very tiring week and the last thing she wanted to do was work. Yet here she was on a Saturday morning because she knew that not working meant no money, which meant not being able to buy the new deejay equipment she wanted and that wouldn't be a good thing at all. She grudgingly entered the store and, to her displeasure found, that it was already quite busy, meaning that it would be this way all day.

When Toby approached her and asked her to forego running the deejay stand in order to help customers, she inwardly groaned. The one thing that could possibly make her happier at work today and she had to give it up because the store had to be busy, because apparently the universe hated her. Part of her wanted to protest the order given to her and just go to the equipment anyway, but another, larger part of her saw the number of people in the store and realized that she couldn't let her friends suffer this insanity alone. It was with another groan that she quickly headed over to the register and took over for Chip, who looked like he could use, a much-needed break.

She remained in that position for the better part of the morning, the rush never seeming to leave but only increase as time went by. Vida was tired, but knew that she had to keep working as hard as everyone was. When she finally let her eyes wander across the store, she noticed that there was one employee not working as hard as the rest of them were.

Xander Bly was sitting in the red chair he'd deemed as 'his' long ago and was reading a magazine, looking as though he had all the time in the world to spare when they were getting their asses handed to them up front. The site made Vida furious, and almost instantly, she found herself wanting to march up to him, pull the magazine out of his hand and yell at him for not helping them, but quickly stopped herself from doing so. Yelling at Xander would do nothing to make him get up and help them; it would only instigate an argument that she didn't want right now. She had to get him to help them out and possibly take out a frustration or two along the way. She thought for a few moments before a rather ingenious idea popped into her mind, a way to get everything she wanted all rolled into one. The only thing she'd have to do would be to convince Xander to go along with her, and she would, there was no way he would resist this idea.

"Hey sis, can you take over for me? I need a break," Vida asked quickly only to have Maddie immediately nod and come over, leaving her free to walk over to where Xander was currently sitting.

She wasted no time in getting over there and standing in front of him completely and utterly unnoticed. Vida smirked to that, glad that he was going to be surprised by her sudden appearance.

"You know, last time I checked you worked here too," she stated, receiving a jump from Xander, who immediately looked up from his magazine and straight into her eyes. "Might I ask exactly how long you've been sitting here?"

"A while, I've been supervising you lot," he started casually, his eyes wandering back to the magazine only to have it snatched from his grasp. "Hey! I was reading that!"

"And now you're not. Honestly Xander, we've been getting our asses kicked and you've been sitting there doing nothing. It's called work: do some!"

"Supervising is work, I'm making sure the store isn't destroyed," he replied with a grin on his face.

"It is not work if you just sit there while the rest of us work our asses off to make the store function!" Vida groaned and brought a hand to her face to calm herself down before this got any more heated.

"I do not want to start arguing with you right now. It's far to early. All I want is for you to come and help but obviously, you need some enticement and I've got it for you. What say you and I make a little competition out of today?" Xander immediately perked up at the suggestion and looked at her with interest, causing Vida to drop the hand and grin. She had him and he didn't even know it yet.

"Competition?"

"Yep, and this one is between you and me alone buddy, and to participate, you actually have to work," she stated, casually grinning at the look on his face. He looked a tad bit repelled at the idea of working, but the competition aspect seemed to be pulling him in, making him curious.

"What type of competition are we talking about here?"

"Who can beat whom in the amount of sales for the day. Meaning whoever sells more wins," she grinned again and watched him as he thought about her suggestion.

"What will I get for winning?" he stated cockily, causing her to roll her eyes, knowing she had him for sure now.

"The loser buys the winner lunch." He wrinkled his nose at that, the stakes not being high enough for his liking. While having a free meal was nice, it wasn't the best thing in the entire world. Vida noticed this almost right away and quickly searched her mind for something to add that would make him want to participate and immediately something came to her mind, though it wasn't exactly something she expected.

"I don't.." he cut himself off when she began speaking.

"And, if you win. I'll, we can make it a date, you can take me on a lunch date," Vida stated quickly only to get a wide-eyed look from Xander. He'd certainly never expected that to come out of her mouth but the idea was appealing: he'd always found his pink teammate to be one of the most attractive females he knew. He liked the idea of going out on a date with her; the only question in the back of his mind was what would happen if by some miracle she were to win.

"Hmm..what do you get if somehow you manage to win."

"Work. As in you work for me while I supervise..no complaints. Or questions asked…and you still buy me lunch," she stated with a grin. Xander smirked to that, knowing that even if he did lose, he could still turn that lunch into a date. This competition he could do, he could win, and he would get his reward for doing it.

"Well Ms. Rocca, I accept your challenge…be sure to wear something pretty for our date," he slyly stated, getting up from his chair and walking over to the register. "Because the competition starts now…and we both know who the winner is going to be."

Vida grinned and followed him, knowing that she'd just made the day all the more interesting for the two of them.

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**AN 3:Thanks so much to all the reviewers you guys make me smile…now..wanna make me smile some more?**


	4. Game

**Disclaimer: I do not and probably never will own Power Rangers. **

**Challenge: Game**

**Summary: It's all in how you play the game…**

**Rating: T, for now**

**AN: Wow…an update this quickly..I'm quite proud of myself here. Anyways, thanks for the reviews all I'm really glad you're enjoying this so far. Again, none of the challenges are related unless I state it. **

**This takes place during the episode "Snow Prince".**

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For as long as Xander could remember, he and Vida had always had a very tumultuous friendship; they hated each other one moment, and then were best friends the next. It had always been that way and it was just recently that he'd noticed a change had come about in the way they acted around each other. The fights still came, but with them came flirting, smoldering looks, and a definite change in the way he felt about his pink teammate.

He'd always found Vida attractive, but had managed to keep that fact to himself over the years because he'd thought that was all there was: a simple outward attraction. Lately, he'd caught himself staring at her for longer than any friend should do so, thinking about what it would be like to actually act on that attraction, to see if she felt the same thing for him. He also found himself seeing a different side to her, finding her inner fierceness and never-ending stubbornness to be a turn on. A very large part of him said that this was ludicrous, that he shouldn't be having feelings for one Vida Rocca; but there was another part that said he did and that she was returning those feelings with this new game they were playing.

They were both playing a game and he knew that it was their little way of testing each other, to see if the other felt the same way. One of them would start a fight about something stupid and it would blow completely out of proportion. It was normal for them, but when they finally made up, things changed and the game started. It always began with a look shared between the two of them, one that had them thinking the same thing; their game had started. Both would venture off on their own, but they both unconsciously decided to stay where the other could see them clearly.

The game would always start out innocently enough: stolen glances, small smiles, mouthed words, and silent laughter when the other did something funny. Then it would change once more: the innocent flirting turning into trading suggestive, enticing comments, sending smoldering looks to each other, and touching. No matter what he did, she always responded to him; she played their game well and her actions made him think that she was feeling the same way he was.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he caught her eye. Today had started out like any other day; he and Vida had arrived for work at the same time and after three hours of being together, they'd gotten into a fight. He'd tried telling her to turn the music down and Vida had taken it as an insult, thereby instigating a huge blowout that had caused them to not speak to each other for at least an hour. Like always, they'd forgiven each other, and had gone back to work, both silently acknowledging that the game had begun.

She gave him a smile that he returned before letting his eyes wander over her body, knowing that she was watching and not caring. For the first time today, he noticed that she was wearing a shirt that was green and pink tie-dye and he smirked, knowing he had an opening to entice her.

He quickly moved through the store, arriving at the deejay stand in record time. Glancing around, he saw that the store was nearly empty and that everyone else was previously occupied with other tasks. Grinning, he stepped onto the platform, walked behind her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her to him.

"You know," he murmured into her ear. ""That shirt makes pink and green mix wonderfully together, doesn't it? What do you say we go in the back room and mix together?"," he asked suggestively. She leaned against him out of habit and smirked, liking where this was going.

"Hmm, us in the backroom. What, no dinner first?" she teased.

"Dinner's too hard to accomplish."

"I betcha that's not the only thing that's going to be hard," she responded lightly, making him chuckle.

"It won't be hard if you'll help me take care of it all."

She turned her head upwards then and looked at him. Xander smiled, as he looked her face over; her eyes were visibly darker then they had been before, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her lips looked so warm and inviting, making him be overwhelmed by the desire to kiss her senseless.

"Xander," Vida began only to cut herself off as his face inched towards hers. He stopped his lips just inches from her own; leaning down, he touched his forehead to her own and smirked when she tilted her head to close the small gap between them. Their lips were mere centimeters apart, breath mingling together, eyes smoldering. What would have been a nice moment was shattered by a loud voice from the other side of the store.

"Could SOMEONE come and help me out with the truck order?" Chip called out, apparently oblivious to the moment his teammates had been sharing.

Xander and Vida jumped at the yelling before quickly pulling themselves out of the position they were currently in; Vida going back to her deejay equipment and Xander heading over to the other side of the stand.

"You should go help him," she stated her mood already changing. He nodded to that, not wanting to leave but knowing that any hope of him getting a kiss from her was gone.

"Yeah…I'll…come back over later," he replied as he began to walk away from her. When he was back down on the actual floor, he turned and was surprised to find her staring at him. "Like what you see?" he teased, the mood around them already shifting. She rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same.

"Oh yeah, you know, that just looking at that body of yours gets me all hot and bothered. It's taking all my self-control not to pull you behind the deejay stand and have my way with you right now," she retorted only to get a wink from him.

"Wow, I am good, aren't I?" She rolled her eyes again and then shifted her attentions to Chip, who was looking at the two of them, a pointed look spread across his face. "Go help him before he starts trying to give you a death glare." Xander smiled, gave her another wink, turned around and headed towards his other teammate.

The game had shifted again; the action they'd both almost engaged in was a sign to the both of them. Xander knew things would be different now and he'd more than likely have to work for the kiss he was now hell bent on getting. But he'd do it; he'd play the game all over again and this time he would win his prize, and make sure there were no interruptions when he claimed it.


	5. Secrets

**Disclaimer: Nope..still don't own them. Challenge: Secrets **

**Summary: We've all got something we're hiding...**

**Rating: T, for now**

**AN: Wow..another one down, I'm feeling very proud of myself right now. Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews guys they really do brighten my day! And as always, these challenges are not related unless I say so.**

**This takes place during "Scaredy Cat"**

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He hurried through the streets towards the RockPorium, wanting to get there as quickly as possible. Though the store wouldn't be opening for another few hours, he still wanted to get there. Some might say that he was crazy for wanting to be at work when he didn't have to be but he wasn't really going to work; no, in his mind what he was going to do was perfectly sane. He wanted to be there because _she _was at the store, and waiting for him.

That she was one Vida Rocca, a girl who was his best friend, teammate, and now his girlfriend. Their relationship had started almost a month ago, right after what he liked to refer to as 'the tree incident'. It was then that he'd taken time to notice Vida in a different light and had gotten the courage to ask her out on a date. Now, here they were a month later, and to the surprise of both, the relationship between them was stronger than ever. They went on dates when the world didn't need saving and talked for hours on end. They just clicked and it was something that the two had honestly never expected to occur. The only catch with their relationship was that it was a secret; no one knew about what their relationship except for them.

At first, they'd both agreed to keep it between them because they hadn't been sure that it would even work out and to them, it made no sense to clue everybody else in until they knew for sure. Then the relationship had gone from casual and flirty to serious and emotional and they enjoyed it being just them because this side of a relationship was different. They learned as they went and both had agreed that for the time being, a secret was necessary. With the bad guys they were always fighting, keeping this to themselves was just for the best.

To keep it that way, the two of them put on their usual act: fight, make-up, fight some more. To anyone that watched, it seemed as though nothing had changed between the two. When they were alone, everything was different: they would apologize for the fights they'd had, fight some more, and then make-up for everything right then and there. It was always a time they both looked forward to because it was just their own.

That was exactly what he was headed to do now: have some time away from the craziness of their lives and just be with her. They'd arranged it almost a week ago, to meet at RockPorium and have a quiet breakfast date somewhere together as neither had had the chance to do anything with just each other. They were either working, saving the world, or learning some new magic in preparation for the final battle that everyone knew was coming. He was happy they'd planned this, and even happier when he finally reached the store and saw her car already sitting outside of it. He smiled and reached for his key, placed it in the lock, and slowly turned the doorknob and stepped inside the quiet store.

As he closed the door, he looked around for some sign of her and felt his smile grow when he saw food set out on the deejay stand, having just expected to be meeting her here and then going somewhere else for the actual date. His gaze drifted away from the stand as his eyes searched for her but found nothing. Sighing, he began to walk to the back of the store but stopped when he felt a pair of arms wrapping around his neck from behind.

He grinned like a maniac as he turned around and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. His head bent and without any words, their lips met in a short but sweet kiss, one that had fireworks going off in his head.

"Hi," Vida smiled as she rested her head against his chest.

"Hello to you too," he responded as he let his head rest on top of hers. "I've missed you so much."

"I know the feeling. It's been torture not being able to see you like this for so long." He nodded in agreement and pulled her closer to him, smiling when she snuggled herself into his chest.

"Glad to see we feel the same here," he chuckled and placed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling her unique scent before pulling away. "Where did you get the food from? I thought we'd just go out." She smiled as she turned her head to look at him, placing a kiss on his neck before speaking.

"I know, but I want you all to myself for awhile, so I picked something up on the way here. I thought you'd like to stay here, alone, with me," she suggestively stated, a playful grin upon her face. Xander's eyebrows rose at the tone of her voice as he shifted on his feet, grinning down at her.

"I love the way you think sometimes," he teased only to get a slap to the arm from her.

"You'd better love the way I think all the time," she threatened only to be silenced by a kiss from him.

"I do and that reminds me, I'm sorry about that fight the other day." He took her hand in his and slowly brought her fingers to his lips and dragged them across. "I didn't mean anything I said."

"I know you didn't and I'm sorry too, but you have to admit, that fight was one of our better ones."

He laughed and nodded, letting their fingers intertwine together. "Oh I don't deny it wasn't fun. Besides, this means we get to properly make up now, doesn't it?" he asked with a grin and getting a nod from her.

"Oh definitely, one of the whole reasons I want to stay here, making up is the best part," she smiled and reached up to capture his lips in a sweet kiss that quickly turned into something passionate.

Their lips met again and again as the pair of them quickly let themselves be lost to the moment, tongues slid into the others mouths and dueled for control as Vida maneuvered them so that Xander was pressed up against the nearest wall. He groaned when he felt his back hit the hard surface, but quickly forgot about the momentary flash of pain and concentrated on the lips his own were attached to. His arms snaked out once again and pulled her close to him as her arms wrapped around his neck, both of them deepening the kiss as they pressed themselves even further into the wall.

After about five minutes of being against the wall, the two pulled apart for breath but never left each other's embrace. Their breathing was heavy as one looked at the other and smiled. Vida moved in to start another heated make-out session, but was quickly stopped when she felt Xander's hands grabbing her bottom. She squealed when she felt herself being hoisted into the air, wrapping her legs around his hips, and pressing her body closer to his in an attempt to get used to the change in altitude. She glanced down at him and saw him smirking up at her, making her glare and playfully slap him in the process.

"Why did you just think it was ok to grab me like that?"

"Because I was getting tired of being pressed against that wall; it hurt, and you know you love it when I grab you," he teased only to get an eye roll from her.

"Xander…it's only going to hurt more with you holding me up."

"Not necessarily," he grinned and turned his lips upward, and every thought that had been in their heads fled as their lips made contact again. Slowly he began to walk, his hands gripping her hips as their mouths engaged in their own intimate dance of lips, teeth, and tongues mingling together. Somehow, he managed to maneuver the two of them across the store and before he knew it, he was setting Vida down on the countertop, her legs immediately wrapping around him and tugging his body closer to her own.

Her hands rubbed his shoulders as their lips continued to meet, the two only breaking away because the need for air became too great. Her forehead touched his as they gasped in the much needed oxygen, hands wandered of their own accord; his on her hips, hers on his chest. They stared at each other again before Xander grinned, leaned up, and cemented his lips to her neck.

Vida let out a whimper as his lips attacked her neck and used her legs to bring him as close as he could possibly be to her own body. Moments like this came too little for the two of them and she didn't want to stop now. But the second she felt his teeth biting into the flesh of her neck, her mind snapped out of its passionate haze and realized exactly where they were.

"X-Xander," she managed to get out, making him pull away from her to give her his undivided attention. "You know I love this, really, I do, but you know there are other things to eat here besides me."

"True, but you, my dear, are far more delectable than they will ever be," he countered only to receive a groan from her. He smirked and let his head wander back to her neck only to find be stopped by her hand.

"Xander, I love it when you do that, but we need to stop before this goes too far. We talked about this, remember?"

He sighed and nodded, remembering the three hour long conversation they'd had about taking that next step in their relationship. They'd both realized they weren't ready for that with each other because of everything they had to deal with, and both wanted to build their relationship on the emotional, not physical.

"I remember, and I'll stop now because we need to. We are in no way ready to move to the next level, especially when we're still in that whole 'getting to know you' phase of a relationship," he smiled and disengaged himself from her body.

She returned the smile, nodded, and pushed her body off of the counter and down to the floor, before finding herself being pulled into his arms again. Vida giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck as their foreheads came into contact again.

"Xander, you realize this isn't helping us get to the food, right?" He nodded but didn't say anything, choosing to place a kiss on her cheek instead.

"I know that, but I like holding you in my arms. And today, I want to imprint your figure there, because who knows how long it'll be until we get to be together like this again."

"Soon, I promise. We're not letting ourselves go this long without it again. I refuse to not kiss you for another two weeks," Vida replied as his lips made contact with her other cheek. He pulled away and shook his head.

"I wish it was that simple babe, but we don't know when we'll be able to sneak off again and we can't go public with this yet. We don't need to risk having something happening to either of us because of our relationship." She sighed and nodded, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.

"I know we can't risk it right now. Besides, you have to admit that it's fun being a secret,

sneaking around, stealing kisses and touches when we think no one is looking," she smirked knowingly, making him laugh.

"It is fun, I like keeping you all to myself. And we're definitely going to work to have another date sooner rather than later. Maybe we can make it to lunch this time around."

"Maybe we will. But I like breakfast dates too. And speaking of that meal I did buy us some and it's just waiting to be consumed." Xander grinned and let her out of his arms, grabbing her hand as she started to make her way over to the deejay stand, once again thankful to have her as his girlfriend, even if he was the only one that knew about it, for now.


	6. Dawn

**Disclaimer: If I owned them don't you think this might have been in the show?**

**Challenge: Dawn**

**Summary: A new dawn awakens many things…**

**Rating: T, for now**

**AN: Thank you so much for all the reviews guys, good to know you're enjoying the stories so far. I know it's been a while since I last updated but life got in the way. Hope this makes up for making you wait.**

**This is set after "The Hunter"**

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Silence echoed around them as he held her in his arms; hours ago they'd both been separated by Oculous in their attempt to save Nick from the terrors. They'd each gone to separate dimension and had been forced to fight and wait for something to pull them back. Of course Nick had managed to do so and in the end the entire team was down another terror and up some major artillery in the form of Nick's battelizer. But it still hadn't stopped either of them from worrying about the other; Xander remembered constantly thinking about her when he'd been alone in his dimension, wondering if she was fairing alright, if she'd gotten hurt at all and Vida had done the same with him.

To almost anyone who knew them these sentiments would be surprising because Xander and Vida came off as friends who fought all the time, but, to each other they were so much more than that. For months now the two had been developing a steady relationship that was only their teammates and they knew about. This relationship had surprised them all but so far everyone who knew accepted it and let it be; the relationship was unique; constant fighting and making up but it worked for them.

Their unique relationship was what had brought them into the forest tonight; mere hours after the defeat of Oculous the two of them had practically raced here to be together. They'd needed to feel and see that the other was all right and had just needed to be together after such a tough battle. The night had started out with hugging and questions of 'are you alright' and hurried answers. But eventually it had led to some very heated make-out sessions, the last one of which had almost resulted in taking their relationship further than they'd wanted to. His shirt had come off as well as the top she had on over the tank top she was currently wearing before they'd both managed to stop themselves and rein in their emotions, agreeing that they weren't ready for where it had been heading.

After that almost encounter Xander had settled himself against a tree with her curled up against his chest, both wanting to stay with the other until the sun had risen the next day. They'd stayed awake for hours, talking, fighting, and making up until Vida had finally drifted off against him, using the shirt she'd yanked off of him earlier as a blanket. Xander had managed to keep himself awake, wanting to watch dawn come, and despite his exhaustion he'd managed to do it, content with just holding her and exhilarated by the fact that she was his to hold at all.

As he watched the sky start to lighten he glanced down at Vida to find that her eyes were closed, breathing even as she used his chest for a pillow. He was reluctant to wake her but when she'd started to drift off she'd made him promise to do so when dawn came in. Xander knew that she'd give him hell for waking her up but he was more afraid of what she'd do to him if he let her sleep through it. Sighing he realized he had to get her up and gently nudged her, groaning inwardly when that had almost no effect.

"V, love, get up," he whispered softly as he nudged her again. He winced when she groaned and burrowed further into his chest, not liking that he was the one waking her from such a peaceful slumber. "Come on sweetheart, you wanted to see this, get up," he said a little more forcefully, nudging her a little harder.

When she still didn't get up he thought about his options and decided he really only had one option. Smirking he leaned down and captured her lips in a sweet kiss, one that only took her a few moments to respond to; when he pulled away she saw him looking at him through bleary eyes, but smiling all the same.

"What brought that on?" she asked, as she curled into his warmth, shivering slightly.

"Needed to wake you up somehow, you sleep like a rock," he commented, earning a slap on the chest from her.

"Well I'm so sorry that I'm exhausted and you should be to buddy, I saw those yawns earlier, why didn't you go to sleep?"

"Wanted to stay up so we could watch this, I'll go to sleep when I get home, I close tonight so I can get a good few hours later," he responded, kissing her forehead as he brought her closer to him, wanting to keep her warmer.

"You could've slept, I wouldn't of-"

"I know that, but I wanted us to be able to see this, wanted to be romantic for a bit." She rolled her eyes but nodded to him, smiling when he gave her another sweet kiss before settling them back against the tree again, both watching as the sun lighted the sky with soft yellows, oranges, and pinks.

"It's almost as gorgeous as you love," he remarked, getting a soft smile from her.

"Why thank you, it is beautiful. Thank you for suggesting this. We needed it," she remarked as he nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"It is breathtaking and we needed to be with each other after yesterday, I just, I needed to feel that you were alright, that we were both still good."

"We're better than good, we just needed confirmation and we have it, we may have some bumps and bruises but right now we have each other, and this dawn, and hopefully many more to come with each other like this."

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**AN: Thanks for the patience all; I know it's been a while but I'm hoping to have the next one out soon. Hope you have a lovely week!**


	7. Beautiful

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them and doubt I ever will. **

**Challenge: Beautiful **

**Summary: Sometimes it just feels like I'm not as pretty as her.….**

**Rating: T, for now. **

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, you know I love reading them. Hope you all are having a great new year so far! **

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She hated these thoughts; the ones that had invaded her mind earlier and just wouldn't leave. The ones that were cracking her nearly impenetrable emotions and making her feel things she didn't like at all. She should be feeling grateful and happy, because it was only hours ago that she'd gotten her sister back from being turned into stone. The whole team had even gotten a combining power and had defeated their toughest monster yet. So for all intensive purposes she should be happy, but for the life of her Vida couldn't make herself feel that way.

She'd gotten off of work an hour ago and the others had wanted to go out to celebrate but she'd refused to go, saying she wasn't feeling well before rushing off, leaving them to go on without her. She was now in the forest, sitting on a pile of rocks, trying to make herself feel anything but what she was right now, hurt and jealousy towards her sister.

It had all started when that guy had come in earlier looking for Maddie, Ben. Vida had thought he was cute and had instantly moved to talk to him but her sister had beaten her to it. In the end it had turned out that was who Ben had wanted to talk to all along. Normally something like that didn't matter to her because she'd always been the one to get a guys attention, seeing Maddie get some of that every now and then made her happy. But lately it seemed that any and every guy wanted Maddie's attention, saying that her sister was gorgeous and paying her no attention at all.

Looks had never mattered to her; she'd never even considered them until all the guys seemed to gravitate towards her sister's beauty and not hers. Maddie even seemed to have captured Nick's heart in the process and while Vida could never see herself with the Red Ranger she still hurt.

She was horrible for feeling this way; she knew she should be happy that Maddie was finally getting out of her shell and discovering that she was beautiful inside and out. But she just couldn't shake this feeling inside of her. It was the whole reason she was out here all by herself, trying to calm down, to rid herself of these feelings because Maddie didn't deserve this.

"I really am just so sick of feeling this way," she muttered to herself as she leaned back against the rocks.

"Sick? Really? You look perfectly healthy to me." She heard someone answer, causing her to jump and turn her head to find the source of the voice. What she saw was Xander, walking towards her, hands in his pockets as he looked at her. Groaning inwardly she scooted over to make room for him when he finally reached her. He instantly sat down and looked at her again, making her glare at him just slightly.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Oh nothing much, I just saw you heading for the forest when we were heading out and thought I'd come see if you were alright. You did say you were sick but then I come out here and find you sitting here looking perfectly fine," he accused. "Care to tell me exactly why you're out here all alone when you should be with us?"

"Is it so hard to believe that I wanted some ALONE time so I can think and just, collect my thoughts?"

"And why would you need to collect your thoughts? I'd think you'd be happy about having Maddie back and defeating that Medusa wannabe. What's there to think about?"

"You have no idea," she muttered as she brought her knees up to her chest and watched his face cloud over with confusion.

"Then inform me. Please because I'm curious as to why you wouldn't want to spend time with us, especially Maddie after what happened today."

"Maybe because my thoughts are centered around Maddie right now. Maybe its because I don't want to be around her and Nick making moon eyes at the other, and maybe, just maybe I don't want to watch her get hit on by every guy that approaches us," Vida hissed quietly, causing Xander to look at her in shock. In all of his years of knowing Vida he'd never heard her talking about Maddie in this way, she'd always had nothing but positive things to say and now it was anything but.

"V," he began, not knowing exactly what to say to her.

"I know, I know, I'm a horrible person for saying things like that. I know I should be grateful to have her back, that she and Nick are starting to become really close but lately, it's just, Xander do you think I'm pretty?" she asked suddenly, failing to notice his eyes go wide in disbelief.

"I-I, w-what, V-V," he began only to stop when he saw her face contort in pain at his inability to speak.

"Then what I'm thinking it has to be true if you don't think I'm pretty. Haven't you noticed that guys have been going to Maddie lately and completely ignoring me? She's been getting all the attention and I know this makes me a horrible sister but I want that. I want someone to think I'm as beautiful as she is," she confessed quietly, surprising herself that she could so openly tell him something like that. "I mean, look at me, I don't think that I'm that bad looking but obviously there's something wrong with me if they all just want her."

For the fist time in his life Xander was at a complete loss for words. Vida had literally just poured her heart out to him and he had no idea what to say to comfort to her. She was easily one of his best friends but when it came to things like this she turned to Maddie, not him. He knew what he wanted to say, needed to tell her but he wondered if saying it would reveal his own feelings. For years now he'd had a crush on the woman beside him but had always held back from telling her because of their friendship and now it was because they were Rangers. But she needed reassurance now and from what he could tell he'd have to risk revealing his feelings in order to bring the Vida he loved out of this funk.

"V," he started again only to be cut off by her.

"No you really don't have to say it. I'm right I know it; I'm nothing special, nothing pretty. You don't have to be nice about it, your answer just proves it all."

"Did you even give me a good amount of time to answer?" he countered, watching her stop her rambling for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you threw me for a loop with that question and didn't even give me enough time to process that it had come out of your mouth, much less time to answer it like it deserves to be answered," he responded as she shifted to look at him.

"Oh," she said, her face reddening in embarrassment. "I just, I didn't think-"

"No you didn't now shut it and let me talk," he commanded softly. "Now I'd like to answer that question with an answer that seems fitting. You, Vida Rocca aren't pretty," he paused as he watched her face fall at the words. "You're absolutely gorgeous. I mean when I look at you I see a strong, confident, engaging woman who has an amazing personality and the looks to match it. You're exotic, unpredictable, and you care so much about your friends and family. All of those things combined make you beautiful in my eyes V," he confessed quietly. "And if no one else can see that then they're as blind as a bat. You don't deserve them if they can't see how beautiful you are, inside and out."

Vida looked at him, shocked that he could say something so sincere and touching. His words went down to her very soul and stuck there, making her see him in an entirely new light. "Xander I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just believe what I say, you're beautiful, there's nothing wrong with you and Maddie will never want any guy but Nick. You deserve someone who sees what I do V, none of those idiots deserve you or the beauty you possess."

They sat there in silence after that, neither sure of what to say to the other until Vida simply reached over and took his hand in hers.

"Thank you, so much," she whispered as she squeezed his hand. He simply smiled at her and tugged her against him in a hug, tentatively pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Anytime beautiful."


	8. What If?

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own them and probably never will. **

**Challenge: What If**

**Summary: He wasn't nervous, he just kept questioning what she'd say**

**Rating: T, for now**

**AN: Alright all here's another challenge for you. I've decided that this one WILL BE linked to the next one. These two will connect and the next one will be posted as soon as I get the chance to write it. Enjoy!**

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Clueless, that's exactly the way he felt as he stood by the Xenotome watching her from across the room. He knew what he wanted to do, go over there, talk to her, and finally ask her out on a date but he just couldn't get his legs to start moving in that direction. That was because he really was clueless on how he should do it. Sure he'd asked countless numbers of girls out before this, had gone on numerous amounts of dates but something about this time was different. This time the girl was special; this time it was one of his best friends.

He'd always been a confidant guy, the 'ladies man' of Briarwood and he knew that when it came to women, he knew a thing or two. It shouldn't be this hard to ask a girl out but still he found himself worried about her saying no to him. This was a girl who could and would if she didn't want to, not to mention one of his best friends. It probably didn't help that she had no idea that he wanted their friendship to be so much more than that, that he wanted a relationship with her and no one else.

He wanted that with her and if anything was certain in this little game it was his feelings. He'd always had a crush on her but ever since he'd almost been turned into a tree his feelings had been amplified a thousand times more. She'd helped him in ways he'd never thought possible and her act of kindness and concern for his well being touched him. Ever since that day they'd acted differently towards the other, talking more, fighting less, becoming closer, and all the while he'd been falling for her faster than he'd thought possible.

He'd been holding onto his feelings for far to long and with their growth he knew that holding them down wasn't an option. He couldn't stop thinking about her, the way she laughed, the smiles she always sent his way, and most especially he couldn't stop thinking about the near perfect way they could work together. They seemed to match each other perfectly, yes they still fought constantly but they matched it with talking and sharing things they never would with the rest of the team, it just worked for them. Now he wanted more than the friendship they had, he had to ask her out, even her saying no would be better than the torture he was putting his heart through.

But still, what if she said no? What if she thought he was a freak? What if she wanted to stop being his friend all together?

He knew that all of these were a possibility but he just had to do it. He was really going to make his legs move and walk up to her, clueless or not. It was high time he got the answers to all of his questions and put his doubts to rest. It was now or never, he had to do it, he owed it to them both to try.

"Hey V," he called out from across the room, causing her to look over at him with a smile. "I've got something to talk to you about."

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**AN 2: Again, this one and the next one will be linked together. Hope you enjoyed it. Have a lovely rest of the week!**


	9. Why

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them and doubtfully ever will. **

**Challenge: Why?**

**Summary: Out of every other girl in the world why did he pick her?**

**Rating: T, for now**

**AN: Please note that this challenge is related to the last one 'What If'. And thank you so much for the reviews guys. They totally make me smile. And yes I'm back! So sorry it's been so long but I'm back and more than ready to jump back into things.**

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She followed him out of Rootcore, confusion overwhelming her senses as he just stayed silence. She honestly had no idea what he wanted to talk to her about and it scared her because when it came to Xander, Vida knew practically everything about him. They were best friends, had been since he'd moved to America and even though they were almost always at each other's throats she still knew him inside and out.

Except for now; now Xander just wasn't acting like the Xander she knew and loved. He was being quiet and for once his emotions weren't clear to her and it was scary. She could usually read him like an open book but not right now so she followed him in silence as she tried to figure out exactly what he needed to talk to her about alone in the woods.

They continued on in silence for goodness knows how long until Xander finally stopped in a clearing in the woods and leaned against a nearby tree, his eyes focused on Vida as she struggled to catch her breath.

"You know for a Power Ranger you're pretty out of shape," he commented with a smirk, earning a glare from her.

"Excuse me for being tired," she muttered as she leaned against a tree opposite him. "So why did you bring me all the way out here?"

"To talk." She rolled her eyes at his answer and glared once more.

"Well obviously but why did we have to come out here Xander? You couldn't of talked to me in Rootcore?"

"No," he said, his eyes going to the ground, causing Vida to frown and walk over to him.

"Why not?" she asked softly. "Xander you know you can tell me anything. So what's wrong? Is it girl trouble? Do I have to go break somebody's arms?"

He chuckled then and shook his head, his eyes still focused on the ground. He honestly didn't think he could do this, a few moments ago he'd been so confident, he'd been determined to ask her out on a date. He still wanted to but now, his always confident persona was wavering. Being so close to her, actually resolving to talk to her was scaring the living hell out of him. But he had to do it right? He knew he had to in order to save his own sanity.

"No, no need to break anyone's arms. But it is girl trouble," he said quietly before going silent again. He really was trying to work up the courage but was stopped when he heard her sigh in front of him.

"Who's the lucky girl this time and what do you need me to do?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, never giving away the pain she was feeling. She liked Xander, really liked him, wanted to be more than just his best friend but she'd never admit it to him. She knew his track record and quite honestly she wasn't one to risk her heart like that.

"Say yes," he said quietly. He forced himself to look at her then and saw the confusion on her face. He almost smiled, probably would have if he hadn't been scared out of his mind.

"What do you-" He cut her off before she even had a chance to finish her question.

"I-I mean that the g-girl p-problem I'm h-having is y-you," he managed to get out. "See I have this problem when I'm around you, I can't seem to get my head on straight and I think it's because I like you V. As more than a friend. I've had a crush on you since we first met and it won't go away. I want more than this friendship, I want you, and my peace of mind back because you've thrown me for a loop. So what I want is for you to go out on a date with me, to be in a relationship with me. Please, say yes," he said rather desperately, searching her face for any hint of a reaction.

For a few moments there was nothing but silence between the two of them as she looked at him, bewildered and then contemplating. His gaze had wandered back to the ground as he tried to make himself not run for cover. If she rejected him he honestly didn't know what he would do. "V?" he said after a few more minutes. "Please say something. Anything. The suspense is killing me."

All was quiet for another minute and then he heard her voice, soft and fragile, so unlike the Vida he knew.

"Why?" she croaked out, causing his eyes to immediately snap up to her face.

"What?" he asked, confusion settling in.

"Why me? Why did you wait so long to ask? Just why Xander?"

He stared at her in shock for a minute and then without any warning began laughing at the question. Vida stared at him in shock for a few minutes, not really knowing how to interrupt his sudden outburst.

"Xander what in the hell is-" Once again he cut her off and pulled her into his arms, his hand reaching out to tilt her gaze towards him.

"I would think that the answers to those questions would be obvious Pinky," he said with a grin. "Why you? Because you're smart, put up with me, and constantly challenge me. I don't know anyone else like you Vida. You're not afraid of a fight, you protect your sister and your friends with every bit of strength you have. You know me inside and out and you're absolutely gorgeous at the same time," he paused to take a breath but was still smiling. "Why did I wait so long to ask? Because I'm an idiot who couldn't work up the courage to tell you. I know I should have done it sooner but I just couldn't do it. For that I'm sorry but you know now. I care about you. I want to be with you V, more than I've ever wanted to be with anyone. So I'm going to ask again, will you, Vida Rocca, go out on a date with me? Please? Give me a chance to prove that I mean this."

She smiled then, liking the direction of the conversation and suddenly found herself wanting to, no needing to say yes to him. She liked him far too much and was willing to give it a shot if he was. Vida could do this, she really could, and she didn't know why but she felt this would work out. They would somehow make it work.

"Yes. I have no clue as to why I'm doing this but yes. I'll go out on a date with you. I'm willing to try if you are but you have one chance Xander. Got it?"

"Yes m'am and I promise I'm going to make this work. We're going to work."

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**AN: Alright, hopefully my updates will be coming more frequently now. At least I hope they will be. And I've decided that this is going to be linked to my next theme challenge. I got an idea while writing it and it'll make more sense if they're paired together. Anyways, hope you enjoyed.**

**Have a lovely rest of the week!**


	10. Simplicity

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them, probably never will.**

**Challenge: Simplicity **

**Summary: Out of all the people she knew...Vida never suspected Xander to be one for the simple things. **

**AN: So it's been awhile since I've tackled these things hasn't it? I wish I had a good reason for it but I can just say that inspiration left me and life got in the way. But I've found myself missing writing Vander and so we get this. This one is still connection to the last challenge. I do hope that you enjoy reading it**.

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She'd expected something elaborate, something grand and big. She'd expected him to come blazing in with flowers and candy and all of the other things she hated when it came to dating. She expected him to just be a typical cocky guy trying to date a girl that wasn't into that kind of thing. She'd been expecting a lot of things tonight and for once, Vida Rocca hadn't had any of those expectations met and she was glad because of it.

She could honestly say that she was surprised but in the best way possible right now. Earlier in the night she'd been questioning her very sanity in agreeing to go on this date with Xander Bly of all people but here she was being proven wrong at every possible turn. Instead of flashy and showy like she'd been expecting, Vida had been presented with a quiet night at his house. Instead of flowers and candy they'd gotten really good Chinese take-out. His parents had gone out on their own date tonight and that had allowed them the luxury of simply eating in the living room.

That had been another surprise because instead of some big surprise, they'd just talked. They'd had conversations about anything and everything, he'd made her laugh. They bitched about work and about the latest evil minion trying to take over the world. They were just normal for a little while.

Normal. Now there was a word that Vida never would have associated when it came to Xander and a date. She knew his personality, the one he put on for girls; cocky and arrogant, so sure of himself but none of that was present tonight. No, tonight he was simply Xander. The one she'd grown up with, someone she considered to be one of her best friends, and now a surprisingly good date. He wasn't trying to impress her and she loved it.

In fact Vida was really starting to think that agreeing to date Xander Bly wasn't exactly the worst idea she'd ever had. He was actually making good on his promises in the forest and this felt like it could be something more. She'd always had a crush on him but his playboy status had kept her from doing anything about it. Vida Rocca may be a tough girl but she wasn't a fool. She didn't risk things like her heart on someone who wasn't about to risk their own. But right now, on this night full of surprises, she was starting to think that maybe she could risk it.

She would need more time and dates in order to make a full decision on it but Vida could see it heading down that road if things were going to be like this. She liked that tonight was so simple, that Xander was being so simple of all things. She actually liked the fact that he'd made her help him clean-up their dinner trash and she liked the fact that he wasn't pressuring her for anything right now.

No, right now they were both sitting on opposite ends of the couch watching some ridiculously bad action movie on television. They'd been making their own commentary about the thing for the past half an hour and Vida could safely say that she'd never laughed more in her entire life. But right now they were both being quiet, but it wasn't awkward in the slightest, it was comfortable and simple and real.

This night had truly been a good one in Vida's opinion but when she thought about it there was one thing that could make it better for both her and Xander. She spared a glance in his direction and found that his eyes were on the television screen, hands resting on an armrest and this thigh respectively. She grinned then and quietly reached over to grip the hand that was currently within her reach. Without even thinking about it she threaded their fingers together and simply met his surprised stare with an even one of her own.

Vida Rocca may be a tough girl but there was no rule out there saying that tough girls couldn't like the simplicity of holding someone's hand. Xander seemed to get that within three seconds of staring at her because he simply smiled, squeezed her hand, and went back to the movie.

The simplicity of tonight was a surprise but Vida could see it going an awfully long way.

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**I do hope to be more vigilant about these in the future. Feedback is always appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. GreenEyed Monster

**Disclaimer: Don't own PR…SABAN DOES! **

**Challenge: Green-Eyed Monster**

**Summary: Xander has never been one to get jealous**

**AN: Takes place after the episode arch "Stranger Within".**

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He watched them from across the store, touching and laughing. Someone else was making her laugh and her eyes sparkle and it wasn't him. The idea made his blood boil. Yet it shouldn't. Vida had just gone through a terrible ordeal and Chip had been the one to get her out of it. It was only right that they come out of it as closer friends. But Xander couldn't help the rush of pure jealousy that came over him when Chip put his arm around Vida's shoulders and she leaned into the touch.

He couldn't explain it because he and Vida were just friends but seeing her act like that with Chip, it just didn't sit well with him. It shouldn't because they were both his friends but it did. He needed to stop it before it got out of hand. Xander Bly did not get jealous of other people often and he made it a point to never let the feeling overtake him with his friends.

He didn't even have the right to feel this way about anything in relation to Vida. It wasn't like they were in a relationship of any kind. They were best friends and it wasn't right that he wanted to tear Chip's arm away from her shoulders in this very moment in time. It wasn't right that he wanted to be the one over there right now, making her smile, and laugh. Xander wanted to be Chip right now but he shouldn't want it.

He didn't have the right to want it because he simply was not Vida's type. They fought too much and were both entirely too stubborn to be in a relationship. Not to mention the whole saving the world on a daily basis thing, but Xander was meant to be friend and nothing more. He couldn't be jealous of something he would never have.

"Keep glaring at him," Nick muttered from beside him, which caused Xander to jump and stare at his smirking friend. "Maybe vines will pop out of the ground and pull him away."

"I am not glaring," he huffed and the red mystic ranger rolled his eyes.

"And I wasn't as jealous of Ben as you are of Chip right now," he countered and Xander felt his eyes widen.

"I, you, it's complicated," he responded and Nick nodded.

"I know," he replied. "Trust me I do. But Xander you can't let jealousy get in the way of-"

"I would never let it get in the way of our ranger duties," Xander interrupted and Nick stopped his speech with a pointed stare.

"I know that Xander, calm down," he soothed. "What I was trying to say is…don't let jealousy get in the way of what you really want. I think if you paid attention you might find that Vida wants you."

"And how would you know?"

"It doesn't take a genius," Nick countered. "And I may have…talked with Maddie about it."

"What?" Xander choked and his friend grinned.

"And with that I'm going to leave you to think, but seriously stop glaring. I don't need to explain why the earth decided to revolt," he said and Xander huffed.

Nick didn't know what he was talking about. He was not jealous. He just so happened to be a green ranger who controlled earth staring avidly at two of his friends interacting.


	12. Distraction

**Challenge Distraction**

**Summary: He was one of her best friends, yes he was attractive, yes he knew how to flirt, but the one thing that distracted her above else? That accent. **

**AN: Can take place at any point in the series. Enjoy! **

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Vida Rocca liked to think of herself as a strong and independent woman. She was a sorceress who commanded the element of air and wore pink spandex to save the world on a daily basis. She could fight with the best of them and wasn't prone to taking attitude from anyone. The only problem with her was that she seemed to have a weakness for one person in particular. The entire thing wasn't even her fault it was just that damn accent of his that was so distracting.

Xander Bly had been one of her closest friends since middle school but apparently shifting into teammates had changed something in her. He was supposed to be a friend and friend alone. Nothing more, nothing less. This meant that just the _mere sound_ of his voice rolling over words and using slang she didn't know should not cause her to space out and notice his handsome features.

This never happened to her. Vida was the type of her girl who went for musicians not guys with accents. Especially when said guy was a friend and nothing more. At least that's what she kept telling herself as she stood in the middle of the store with him. They were the only two closing tonight, the others had gone ahead to Rootcore to train and Xander was going on about something that she was not paying attention to.

She shook her head and willed herself to pay attention, but she simply couldn't. Xander's voice was too enticing and she just wanted to listen and watch him. Vida wondered why she hadn't noticed exactly how handsome her friend was before being a ranger. How kissable his lips were, how much she'd like to run her hands through his hair and haul her to him. This was bad, very bad. Vida had to stop thinking like this or she was liable to do something about it.

"V?"

She jumped and found that Xander was standing right in front of her, looking concerned and she cursed herself. Why did he have to sound so good just saying one letter? Her name?

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, sorry, just…tired," she lied as she prayed that he would believe her. "Those monster attacks have been fierce lately you know?"

Xander gave her an understanding nod.

"Yeah completely," he said and she sagged in relief. "But if it helps I think we're done here. Are you ready to go?"

"Mhmm," she responded. "Yeah let's go. Can't keep the others waiting right?"

"Well," he said as he leaned in to whisper to her. Vida felt her pulse speed up at the action and her heart raced when he started speaking again. "Between you and me…do you mind if we walk a little slower? It's a pretty night and I feel like we never get to talk anymore."

"Oh, yeah, that's good," she replied as she thought of all the ways she could listen to that gorgeous voice and not embarrass herself. "That's a really good idea Xander. But let's go. Been cooped up for too long."

Vida followed him to the door and out into the night where they walked slowly towards the trees. She listened to him speak and found herself distracted even more than before. Stupid accents.

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**Feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Perception

**Disclaimer: I do not own PR, but neither does Disney….SABAN DOES!**

**Challenge: Perception**

**Summary: Madison reflects on the changes she sees in Xander and Vida's friendship. **

**AN: So this was a new way of doing this. First person and not getting into Xander or Vida's head. Hope you enjoy. **

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It honestly shouldn't surprise me when I look at the two of them. They've been friends ever since Vida literally ran into Xander on the playground in sixth grade. They fight all the time but it's just who they are. If you asked either one of them they could tell you the others likes and dislikes, what makes them happy, or sad. If a girl hurts Xander they'll have to deal with Vida and if a guy messes with my sister? Well watch out because Xander is on the case faster than I am.

They've always been close. Even I don't understand their unique relationship at times but right now I believe I'm seeing a side to them that I never have before. We're out in the forest for the night, enjoying a chance to be together as friends after a long day of work and battling the latest monster. It had been a long day but we were de-stressing with a picnic that Udonna and Clare had prepared for us.

Nick and Chip are racing around playing tag as Clare walks the forest close by looking for flowers. And me? I'm sitting at a table observing my sister and Xander Bly. Our green ranger had gone to sit with a tree and think when Chip had started with the tag and Vida had joined him a short while ago. He had been in a mood for the day and my sister is often the only one who can bring him out.

I watched them talk for an hour but it was different from the way their talks normally went. Usually I could hear them but this evening had been reserved for hushed tones and gazes that stayed on the other. They often got distracted but not tonight. Tonight it was about them, even when Nick had shrieked like a baby. They'd instead chosen to laugh over their own private joke before settling down.

I got distracted by Nick fifteen minutes ago and hadn't noticed the change in Xander and Vida's position. They had stopped talking and to my surprise I'm seeing my sister curled up against Xander's chest fast asleep. For a moment I wonder if we should have left sooner, if the battle earlier had taken too much out of her and she needed sleep but I quickly banished those thoughts upon looking at her.

She looks at peace there and Xander had one arm wrapped protectively wrapped around her waist. His other arm was controlling a hand that was currently brushing Vida's bangs from her forehead. They both look happy in this moment and I'm left to wonder about them. I know they've gotten closer since we all became Rangers but I've obviously been missing something. I've never known her to use him as a human pillow and he has never allowed any girl that close to him. They're close but this is more. The way he holds her, looks at her, it's all different.

I should be surprised but upon thinking about it; I'm not. My sister and Xander have always had a unique relationship. I don't even pretend to understand it some days. But right now, I'll observe and hope this works out for them.

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**Feedback is always appreciated. Thank you for reading!**


	14. Fight

**Disclaimer: I still don't own PR…SABAN does! **

**Challenge: Fight **

**Summary: A good fight isn't new to these two Rangers….what happens afterwards however is. **

**AN: I'm having such fun with these challenges. I hope you're enjoying reading them. **

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"I TOLD you to stay away from my equipment Xander!" Vida shouted as she stormed into Rootcore and found the green ranger there alone. She seethed as he jumped and turned around to face her.

"Why are you yelling at me this time?" He asked. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"Yes you have! You touched my equipment at the store. My equipment that takes _hours_ to set up exactly how I like it and you messed it up!"

"I had to touch it V!" he screamed right back at her. "The music was blaring and you were nowhere to be found. Toby wanted the song changed. What was I supposed to do?"

"Call me and I would have done it!"

"Right let me just waste countless minutes waiting for you when I was _right there_. That makes a hell of a lot of sense doesn't it?"

"You should have called me so I could have talked you through it then!"

"It didn't cross my mind and it was one time! Stop biting my head off about it. Your equipment is still fine."

"But its messed up Xander," she hissed. The two were standing inches from the other now. Fights like this between them were common and Xander was flat out tired of trying to fight right now. He had come here alone in the hopes of getting some work done with his powers and now Vida was yelling at him over her music equipment of all things. He knew that she was particular about it but it was one time and he hadn't been able to avoid it. She glared at him and he glare back. This was going to end now and there was only one way he knew that would make her be quiet.

"Xander you had better be-"

He cut her off by surging forward, grabbing the back of her neck and hauling her face to his. It took him a moment but he managed to lock his lips across her. He kissed her in order to keep her quiet and also because he wanted to. He'd always felt the pent up tension underlying their arguments and now it was at a breaking point with him. So he moved his lips over hers, and she froze in shock, before responding back.

Xander had to admit that he was surprised when she kissed him back. When her lips traced his, when her hands began trailing up his chest but he wouldn't question it. Instead he traced her lips with his tongue and almost gained entry into what he knew would be an inviting place when his pink ranger suddenly pulled away from him with a gasp.

Xander felt himself suck in deep breaths as she put at least five feet between the two of them and he watched as she brought her hand to her mouth.

"Anything else you would like to say V?" he asked when he could find the words and she looked up at him startled.

"You can't just...Xander…"she fought for words as she stared at him. "Are you going to end our fights like that from now on?"

"I don't know," he answered. _But I'm definitely thinking about it._

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**Feedback is always appreciated. Thank you for reading!**


	15. Scars

**Disclaimer: I own PR in my dreams but in real life Saban does!**

**Challenge: Scars**

**Summary: Scars happen as a Ranger whether it is from battle, or your own training **

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She took a breath as she stood in front of the mirror in Toby's office and lifted her shirt. She didn't want to do this but Vida had to know how big the scar was going to be. She'd taken her mystic racer out for a spin earlier, alone, and had had an accident while doing so. Apparently experimenting with the wind currents while in the air was just not a good idea at this point in her sorceress career. She'd toppled over and onto the forest floor during one of her exercises but thankfully she had been in her Ranger suit, which had taken the brunt of the fall.

But after the thing had evaporated on her she had rolled onto her back and cut herself on a particularly jagged rock in the ground. It had hurt but it definitely wasn't worse than an attack from Koragg or Necrolai. She had gone to Udonna just to be sure it wouldn't be infected but their mentor had cleared her of that, helped her clean it up, and then sent her on her way. She'd come to work with a slight ache in her lower back and was now on a brief break to inspect the damage. She hadn't exactly paid attention at Rootcore earlier but Udonna had said that she might have a scar there when it all healed up which Vida really didn't mind. If she thought about there were other scars on her body from their battles and she knew the others had them too. It was part of being a Ranger, having scars on the outside and on the in as well.

But that didn't stop her from being curious about how big the cut was or how big her scar might actually be. So here she was attempting to get a good look in the entirely too small mirror in Toby's office.

"Hey V I was wondering-whoa."

Vida dropped her shirt instantly and flew around to find Xander standing in the doorway with his mouth open. Instinctively, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at her friend even as she felt herself flushing at the neck. While she had acknowledged that she may or may not have the tiniest of crushes on Xander Bly he didn't need to know it.

"Don't just stand there like a fish Xander," she said. "What do you want?"

"What happened to your back?" he asked as he completely ignored her question and closed the door.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What I mean is the fact that your lower back is bruised," he said as he walked up to her. She gasped at the assessment and quickly turned herself back around and lifted her shirt again. Once again she tried in vain to get a good look in the mirror.

"Here," he said after a minute. "Let me help."

Vida expected him to reach for the mirror and angle it better but in true Bly fashion Xander decided to just touch her instead. She knew she was blushing as his hands took hold of the end of her shirt and held it so she could get to the mirror. She reached for it then and found that he had had a good idea this time when it came to the placement of his hands. She was able to get a good look at her back and she sucked in a breath as she assessed it.

It was indeed one big bruise and explained the ache that had been persisting there since she had fallen. But what made her wince was the thin line going across her lower back. It was already starting to heal thanks to some salve Udonna had put on it but there would be scarring. In fact Vida could make out where it was starting.

"What happened? Did you get into a fight?" Xander asked and she found herself looking up at him and was surprised to find his brown eyes full of concern.

"Yes, with the ground," she answered and his brow furrowed. "I was out on my racer earlier and fell when I was attempting something with my powers. Suit broke my fall but…does not protect from jagged rocks on the ground."

"V," he said and she shook her head.

"Hey I'm fine. Sore but fine," she soothed as he looked at her.

"It's going to scar," he observed and she rolled her eyes.

"No duh but hey it's one to add to my growing collection," she replied. "Oh don't give me that look. We all have them."

Xander chuckled then and she let out a little gasp when he ran a finger against it. It stung but just a bit and it was minimized by the fact that he was touching her. She found that his gaze had darkened and she attempted to swallow because this kind of contact was new. But it felt good.

"Hmmm," he mused and she shivered at the contact. "Does it hurt?"

"Tinge now," she replied.

"I might be able to heal it," he told her. "I mean I'm sure Udonna did something but earth magic has healing properties."

"No, its ok," she responded. "I kind of like it. It probably won't be that bad when it heals up. At least this one was of my own doing."

"Hmmm," he mused and he ran his fingers against her back again. She hissed slightly but then he moved to pull away and Vida let the mirror fall to the desk so she could move closer.

"Don't," she said after a moment. "I mean…it feels good."

"Oh it does?" he asked and she nodded as he gave her a grin. Vida felt her body freeze when he leaned in and let his mouth settle by her ear.

"To be honest…I think the scar makes you even more attractive than before," he murmured and her heart stopped for a moment. "Do you want to maybe get out of here?" he asked. "We're almost off and I could probably make the bruising feel better if you want?"

"I'd love to," she responded and he grinned as he pulled away.

"Good, but first I need to closely inspect that scar."

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**Feedback is always appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	16. Duty

**Challenge: Duty **

**Summary: When Xander is called back to action, Vida is not the happiest person on the planet**

**Notes: Ok so this drabble takes place RIGHT before "Once a Ranger" in Operation Overdrive. I do hope you enjoy it. **

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"Why you?"

Xander closed his eyes and willed himself to remain calm as he checked the office one last time. He wanted to be sure everything was in place for Toby because he had no idea how long he would be gone for. All he knew was that a ghost of a knight had come to him a few hours ago and said the world was trouble. That the new team of Rangers had lost their powers and as one of the few teams with active powers he was being asked to go and help with a few other Rangers. He'd told his teammates and his boss. They had all accepted it; the only person who was having some issues with it was Vida.

She was currently perched on the desk of the office and he could feel her staring at his back. It was one of the perks of dating a close friend, something he didn't regret doing at all. He was happy that she had said yes to him after the final battle and even happier that they were making the relationship work. They certainly had their ups and downs but ultimately, Vida made him a better man. Xander loved her and he knew that she loved him but right now they were having a slight fight about him going off to help save the world again.

"V, I don't know why me," he said after he took a breath and turned around to face her again. "I just know that the world needs saving again and I cannot in good conscience not go and help the others."

"But why just you?" she asked again. "I mean all of us have active powers. Wouldn't it make sense to put a team together that knows how to work together?"

"Yes it would," Xander conceded. "But the Sentinel Knight said that he needed people from different teams. This new villain needs to be attacked by different power sources at once."

"I don't like this," she told him and he nodded.

"I can understand that V," he told her as he carefully approached her. When he was sure that she wouldn't kill him or cut off key parts of his anatomy and moved into her space. Without saying a word, he nudged her legs a part and stepped into the space between them as her arms wound their way around his neck. He leaned his forehead against hers and breathed deeply.

"You know I can't ignore this," he began.

"I know," she replied as her fingers began to dance across the skin of his neck.

"You know it's our duty as Rangers to help out when the world needs us."

"I know," she responded.

"You know I'll be as safe as possible with the others I'm going with right?"

"I know," she told him. "Kira would never let you do anything stupid and Tori would send a wave of water crashing down upon before you could even try."

"And Adam is the best of the best," Xander tried to sooth as he let his hands drift up to cup her face. He smiled when she nuzzled into him.

"What about this Bridge guy?"

"I have no clue, he's from the future. All I know is that he's a Ranger. Which means we will be fine. All of us."

"I know."

"Then why are you protesting?" he asked and he faltered when he saw tears forming in her eyes. He had seen Vida cry all of four times in the time they had known each other and he had never been the source of her tears. He hated himself in this moment yet he couldn't not leave and do this.

"I'm not," she told him with a shaky voice. "I would never stand in the way of your duty, you know that right? I share it as well."

"I know," he teased and she laughed even as she blinked her eyes. "Please don't cry."

"I'm trying not to," she told him before she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. Xander was caught off guard by the kiss but it was not unwelcome. She kissed him as though her life depended on it and when she pulled away, he was left breathless and smiling as her lips grinned.

"Go," she told him as she pushed him away. "Go and do your duty as a Ranger. I'll be here when you get back. And Bly if you get yourself injured you will not like who I become."

"Yes m'am," Xander saluted before he left the office and her. He had to do this and then he would be back. He just thanked the Mystics that it was a duty that Vida understood all too well.

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**Feedback is always appreciated, thanks for reading!**


	17. Spellbound

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, that right and honor goes to Saban. **

**Challenge: Spellbound**

**Summary: He actually hated getting dressed up, but seeing her just left him spellbound. **

**AN: Takes place post Mystic Force, shortly after 'Once a Ranger'.**

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He pulled on the collar of his shirt as he fixed his tie. He hated getting dressed up, much preferred being in jeans and a t-shirt or something casual to the black slacks and green button up he had on right now. But when he had gotten a call from Mack two weeks ago begging him to come along to some formal thing his dad was throwing he hadn't been able to say no. He genuinely liked the red overdrive ranger and they talked frequently, Xander knew that Mack was struggling with his identity right now. He also knew that the red ranger was trying to hold it all together for the sake of his team and the fate of the world and that he needed some people who weren't on his team to be there for him. Xander decided that he could suck it up and go to this party in order to be there for his friend and to see Spencer as well.

It was a comfort to know that everyone from the Thrax incident, minus Bridge was going to be there as well. It also helped Xander to know that he was getting to bring his girlfriend along to this event. He could in fact hear her humming in the bathroom that attached to his room in his small one bedroom apartment right now. She had kicked him out a half an hour ago to get ready.

He had finally screwed up the courage to ask her out a month after the Master's defeat and they had been going strong ever since. They still fought all the time but he loved her, was committed to her, and knew she felt the same way about him. It worked ad he was happier than he had ever been.

"V we need to get going if we're going to be on time," he called out as he surveyed himself in the mirror.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she answered and he turned to find that she was standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He felt completely speechless at the sight of her, dressed in a form fitting forest green cocktail dress. It had material that crisscrossed against her chest, hugged her in all the right places, cinched at the waist, and flowed down past her hips, stopping just above her knees. To complement the dress she had pink peep toe heels on, paired with the pink ring he had given her for her birthday two months ago. She looked positively gorgeous like this.

"Xander?" she questioned and he found her looking at him, eyes unsure.

"V you…."he approached her and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her own around his neck, leaning into the touch instantly. "Look brilliant. When did you…"

"Kim and Kira helped me pick it out," she said and he nodded. Adam had introduced the entirety of Mystic Force to the rest of the rangers about a month ago. Kimberly, Kira, and Vida had clicked instantly and talked all the time. Xander was mildly afraid by this new friendship because Kim was scary enough on her own, pair that with Vida and Kira? He, Conner, and Tommy just knew to keep their mouths shut. "Said it'd make your jaw drop….did it?"

"V…I'm absolutely spellbound," he assured her before he pressed his lips to hers. He decided that they could afford to be a little late if it meant getting to kiss her thoroughly like this. She really did have him under a spell, one that he didn't want to be cured from.

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**Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated!**


	18. Take My Hand

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own PR but guess what? Disney doesn't either SABAN does!**

**Challenge: Take My Hand**

**Summary: Take my hand and find out. **

**AN: Sorry this took so long, life got in the way. This takes place after the episode Inner Strength.**

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She breathed in and rejoiced at the feel of the air around her, ever moving, always changing, so much like her. This was peace in a world where she didn't know who she quite was anymore. Months ago she had been normal; a regular teenager working to pay for her car and insurance, a dj with an insane love of music, waiting for the day she was done with high school in favor of doing what she loved. But that had all changed with one trip to the forest with her friends. Now she was a spandex wearing super-hero and a witch no less with the power over the wind and air.

Vida had a feeling that she was always destined to take on the mantle of the air guardian; the way her spirit soared whenever she was with her element was ample evidence of it. But now she also couldn't help but feel guilty. She was a liar now; constantly having to make up excuses for her bruises and disappearances. She was a secret keeper for herself and each of her teammates. She was more grown-up now than anyone should be at her age, had seen things no one should. She belonged to two worlds now and each and every day she felt more drawn to the magical one she spent so much time in. It felt right here, no one judged her, just talked with her, and answered her constant questions.

But what she really loved was that she didn't have to hide who she was now. She could be the mystic here, could commune with her element, and above all, there was peace. Out there in the human world she was constantly fighting to keep her ever growing powers in check, they all did, and it wore on each of them. It was why she found herself here, on the balcony of Rootcore instead of fiddling with some new record on her one night off. She wanted peace and here it was.

"V?"

Correction, there it was. She sighed as she turned her head and saw Xander standing in the doorway looking at her.

"Hi," she smiled at him because though she wanted to be alone, his company was always welcome. But she was rather confused. "I thought you had a date tonight?"

"Had," he rolled his eyes as he walked out and stood beside her. "Ended it early."

"Now why did you do that?" she prodded, he had been excited for his date, much to her disappointment.

"We didn't connect on any level," he answered. "She was just a pretty face who wanted to talk about school gossip and I just…"

"Couldn't deal?" she finished and he nodded.

"I think I should be worried that I don't want to keep up on it," he mused. "I mean a few months ago it's what we were all concerned with and…"

"Things are different now," she shrugged. "We're all different I mean…none of the other kids at school can say that they have our lives."

"You mean the ones full of magic and elements and saving the world on a daily basis?" he responded, sarcasm dripping in his voice as she rolled her eyes and nudged him with her shoulder.

"Don't forget the lying, the constant running out, trying to control our powers," she added and he snorted.

"Don't have to tell me twice, I made flowers burst around Toby's office this morning when we were opening up. It took a call to Udonna to make them go away and Maddie corralling our fearless boss for twenty minutes to fix it," he grumbled.

"Need I remind you of the wing incident of two months ago?" she asked, remembering all too well how freaked out she had been about sprouting wings in the middle of the workday. She had needed Nick's sweatshirt to hide them and then Xander had had to stay beside her for the rest of the day to hold her to the ground.

"Nick and his firebreathing still tops it," he told her and she winced, Maddie had had a grand old time trying to explain how she had singed the collar of her t-shirt to their parents. "Why are you out here tonight?"

"Wanted to feel the wind," she replied and he was confused.

"V can't you feel the wind all the time?" he asked and she giggled.

"Not like I can out here, where my powers are completely normal and no one would ask questions," she sang before she held her hand out.

"What?" he was surprised but she moved her hand closer.

"Take my hand," she implored. "And feel what I do. Trust me."

"You…ok," he nodded. While their friendship was full of ups and downs they always trusted the other. That had been strengthened during their course as Rangers and got stronger every time they went into battle. She smiled when he took her hand in his and then gasped. Her powers were alight in her right now and sharing a taste of them with someone else wasn't hard when there was skin to skin contact involved and she wanted to do it. "Oh," he breathed and her eyes closed as she felt the winds ripple around her. She liked experimenting with them, making them move and shake the trees in front of the balcony and knew he could feel it on his skin.

She broke their connection after a minute or so, unable to hold it for much longer than that and opened her eyes to look at him. His eyes were blown wide and for a second she was worried that she had overdone it with him before he smiled at her, bright as the moon high above them.

"That's…that's what you feel?" he asked.

"When I'm alone with them yes," she nodded. "But it's stronger in me than it would be in you. But…wind is…"

"It's you V," he grinned. "It's all you. Just like the earth is me."

"Is that what you feel?" she asked and his eyes sparked pink for a minute before he held his hand out.

"Want to find out?" he asked and she looked at the hand and then at him. "Just take my hand."

She placed her hand in his and let it flow, decided that it was better to spend her night with him than alone.

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**Thank you for reading. Feedback is always appreciated. **


	19. Home

**Disclaimer: Despite my best efforts, I still don't own Power Rangers. Saban does!**

**Challenge: Home**

**AN: So this has been sitting in my laptop for some time. I have no idea why I haven't posted it before now, I apologize that it has taken so long. It takes place after Mystic Force has ended. Hope you enjoy. **

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He jolted when he felt the table vibrate against his hands. He glanced to his right and saw that it was actually his phone that had made the move and reached for it, a smile on his face when he saw who was calling. He hit the accept button and brought it to his ear.

"Hey babe."

"Xander what have I said about calling me babe?" Vida's voice on the other end held a tone of annoyance but he knew she was fighting back a smile. It was crazy to think that he, Xander Bly of all people was so involved with someone that he could figure out when she was smiling. But, that's what he was with Vida; the two had been seriously dating for almost seven months now.

"You had no issues with me calling you babe yesterday morning," he responded.

"That was different," she mumbled and now he knew she was blushing.

"Different she says, different oh you mean because we were-"

"Ok you can stop now, I was calling for a reason," she interrupted him. "Have you seen my pink converse?"

"What?" he asked.

"Did I by chance leave them at your place yesterday?"

"Didn't you wear them out?"

"No, I had to bring other shoes with me because I had that thing with the fairies," she replied; only they could have normal conversations about having plans with mythical questions. "I thought I brought them with me when I left but I can't find them anywhere in my room, or downstairs, and I really wanted to wear them tomorrow and-"

"Hang on, hang on," he moved the phone to his shoulder and balanced it there as he stood up from where he had been doing some homework for his college writing class and walked towards his door. "I'm looking."

"Thank you," she breathed. "If they aren't at your place then I give up."

"They're probably here somewhere," he responded as he checked the door and didn't find them beside it. He moved to the living room to do the same. "How was your day?"

"Long," she chuckled. "The gig went really late last night and then I had to open this morning."

"I could have found someone to switch with you. How did your gig go? I'm sorry I couldn't make it, darn paper," he apologized as he walked through the living room. He saw a pair of her headphones on his coffee table and one of her notebooks beside it, a guitar pic from when she and Kira had borrowed his place to write music.

"Who could have covered me? Toby is on his honeymoon and everyone who can open was already there or it's their designated day off," she replied. "I can take one day of being tired. I just wasn't my fabulous dj-self this morning and you know I don't care about the gig thing. School comes first. Kira and Tori kept me company. How was school today?"

"I'm still convinced my English professor has it out for me," he replied as he left the living room and entered his bedroom. He switched the light on and was greeted by the sight of his very unmade bed. He walked over to the side Vida usually slept on when she stayed over and smiled.

"Poor baby. Did you finish your paper?"

"Almost, I need to edit it and…I am the best boyfriend in the world. I just found your shoes," he told her.

"Really?" she asked. "Where were they?"

"Somehow by the wall opposite your side," he shrugged. "Do you want to come over and get them?"

"I would but I don't trust myself not to fall asleep at your place," she laughed. "Think you can bring them to work with you tomorrow? I'll get them then."

"So come fall asleep at my place," he told her. "Do you feel up to driving here?"

"Yeah, I've had enough coffee today to do that much but it's going to wear off soon," she began. "I mean I don't think I'll be very up to doing anything else tonight."

"Did I say anything about doing anything else?" he asked.

"No," she responded.

"I said come sleep. Seriously. I just have to finish editing this paper," he said. "And it's still early enough…come over, I'll order pizza, we can watch a movie and then sleep. Added bonuses: You get your shoes and your boyfriend."

"I….alright, I'll be over in half an hour?"

"Sounds great. See you then, love you," he added.

"Love you too."

The line went off. Xander smiled as he pocketed his phone and glanced around his room. He decided to pick up just a bit before she came over for the night. The bed could stay unmade, Vida didn't care about that. He reached for a sweatshirt on the ground though and made to put it in his closet before he noticed it was entirely too small to be his. He shrugged as he realized that Vida had to have left it here as well and folded it and took it over to his dresser instead to put it on the top for her. It was then that he noticed the lotion on his dresser, once again not his, the cherry blossom scent was all Vida, though sometimes she let him put it on her after a shower. There was jewelry beside the lotion, bracelets and earrings that were hers.

He frowned as he put the sweatshirt down beside them and then promptly walked over to his closet and opened the door. In it there were his clothes of course, shirts, nice pants, green everywhere as it should be, but there was also a quarter of his closet that was pink. Pink t-shirts, pink blouses, all of it Vida's. He had told her to keep some of her clothes here after she had started spending most of her weekends at his place instead of at home with her parents, where she still lived for the moment. He glanced down and noted that she also had shoes mixed in with his, sandals, flip flops, and a killer pair of high heels that he sometimes convinced her to wear for no reason at all, her beloved converse.

He walked out of his room and across to the bathroom. As he switched the light and stepped inside he saw more of her things there. A toothbrush beside his, her shampoo and conditioner on the edge of the tub, her make-up and hair gel. He also knew exactly what feminine products were under the sink and he ran a hand through his hair as he came to the conclusion that Vida had made space for herself at his apartment.

Xander started breathing heavily as the realization that she had started living with him began to sink in. Vida's things were all over his apartment, splashes of pink in the green, of her things with his. He bought grape juice because she liked it; he made sure he kept strawberry ice cream in his freezer for her. He did things for her, gave her parts of his closet, and she had a drawer. Xander turned the light of the bathroom off and walked back out to the living room and sank onto the couch and put his head in his hands.

When had this happened? Xander had always sworn that he would never get that serious with someone. That giving that much of oneself meant you were sure to get your heartbroken. He had no idea how he had gotten this far, this serious with V. He wasn't dumb; he knew they were serious but this? The whole closet, the drawer, the fact that she felt comfortable enough to keep her things with him was an entirely new level of serious.

It had been gradual. It had been slow. It had started with the toothbrush.

"Oh my god," he breathed. "Oh my god we're…" he was having trouble catching his breath now, tried to calm himself down before he passed out. That would be fun to try and explain to Vida when she came over because if he didn't answer the door she'd magic herself in here and then oh god he needed to breathe. He took in great gulps of air as he picked his head up and lay against the back of his couch eyes closed as his mind raced.

He was really serious about Vida. He loved her with all of his heart. She infuriated and amazed him all at the same time. It was baffling yet easy to love her at the same time. It was easy to give his heart, to share himself with her. It was that thought that caused his heart to stop racing and his breathing to slow down.

Being with Vida was easy. It was easier with her than with anyone else he had ever been with before. He blinked his eyes open and stared at the ceiling as that sunk in. It had been easy to let her have part of his closet, to let her take over parts of his apartment because she had definitely taken over his heart in the year they had been together.

He wanted her to stay like that because she was his Vida. She was the woman who made him want to be a better man, the one who knew him like no one else. They fought all the time but it was part of who they were. He wouldn't trade the life they shared as a couple for anything, nor would he trade this apartment with both of their things. He smiled to himself once more as he fished his phone out to order pizza.

"What are you thinking about?"

He looked down at Vida, who had curled herself against his chest after they had finished their pizza a little while ago. They had been watching a movie together but he had found himself drifting in and out of his earlier thoughts, ones that were calmed even more than they had been by the fact that she was in his arms.

"Xander?"

"I was thinking….you should kiss me," he told her. She rolled her eyes but threaded her hands through his hair in order to tug him down to her level. Their lips met in a heated kiss, tongues dueled, their bodies strained against the other.

"Happy?" she breathed, smiling at him as they pulled away. He nodded.

"You know what I realized today?" he asked, she shook her head. "That you have a lot of things here at my place but it's not everything you own right?"

"No," she replied slowly. "Why?"

"See I like having you here, I like the fact that you keep your things here, and I love moments like these because I love you," he told her. "Want to talk about making you being here a more permanent thing?"

"Xander," she asked, eyes wide as she took him in. "Are you being serious? You want to live together?"

"Completely and totally," he told her. "I want to take that step with you if you're ready."

"I'm ready," she smiled at him when he kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you to, welcome home V."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Feedback is always appreciated, thanks for reading!**


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